Nose: Corn, candy corn, vanilla bean, marshmallow, and musty wood notes. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Black Maple Hill Small Batch. I later found out from Ethan Smith, a Michter’s historian of sorts, that Kentucky Bourbon Distillers LLC (makers of Black Maple Hill) is aging and bottling all Michter’s products today. So perhaps there really is some relation between the two.

Palate: Candy corn, vanilla, and custard to start, and then a thin veneer of oak and spice emerges at mid palate through to the finish. For a whiskey aged in barrels that had already been used for aging bourbon, this has a good bit more oak than I would have expected. There is also some slight astringency. All in all, it’s a bit simplistic, but it’s tasty.

Finish: Prickly spices continue to warm the tongue with some dusty oak and confectionery sweetness. Moderate in length before gently fading.

Overall: This whiskey has a long name. That stems from the fact that it has been aged in refill barrels that once aged bourbon (this is similar to what the Scotch industry does with bourbon barrels). While not 100% stated on the packaging, one has to use their imagination to decipher what “Aged in bourbon soaked barrels” means. All in all, this is a fine, simple sipping whiskey that is good, albeit unspectacular. Michter’s is a storied brand, and one of the oldest distilleries in the US at the time of its closing in 1989. Some say George Washington and his troops sipped Michter’s (rye at the time I believe) whiskey well back into the 1700s. Regardless of that, this particular product in the Michter’s line left me wanting more depth, richness, and character.